Thursday, May 20, 2010

Annie O’Sullivan was a successful realtor until the day a man abducted her and kept her captive in a remote mountain cabin for a year. Now Annie’s so traumatized, she sleeps in her closet and can’t work. In 26 sessions with her therapist, the whole twisted story comes out.

Through most of this novel, I wasn’t sure I liked it. It’s riveting reading, yes, but it is also extremely disturbing and not for the faint of heart (or young teens). But then, once the big twist was revealed, I was blown away by how well the whole story was crafted.

Annie’s nickname for her abductor is The Freak, and it is apt. He is a terrifying guy with deep psychological issues and very strict rules. Crossing him by say, using the bathroom at a non-scheduled time, can lead to bizarre punishments such as having to drink from the toilet. What puzzles her is just how much he seems to know about her and her family, leading her to think that his crime was not random and that even if she escapes him, there may be someone else out to get her…

Annie’s experience changes her a lot – so much so that I almost couldn’t recognize the broken woman swearing at her shrink and shrinking away from her friends and family as the same independent woman we see in her “flashbacks”. Not only is this a fascinating character study, it is also a very satisfying thriller with a shock ending. Highly recommended!

STILL MISSING is coming out in hardcover 0n July 6, 2010. My copy was courtesy of the Amazon Vine program. Find out more about the book at the author's website.

This sounds like an intense book! I am really curious about it and want to get the chance to read this one, despite the fact that it's disturbing. I also am really intrigued by the twist at the end. I am glad that you ultimately liked it, Lenore. It sounds like an engrossing read. Great review, it was extremely persuasive!

Definitely sounds intense and a little scary, actually. I tend to shy away from books with a subject matter like this but enjoyed reading your review! And I'm definitely curious about the surprise twist, too.

Lenore, I had the same reaction as you when I was first reading it. Sometimes I literally had to hold the book *away* from me because I was afraid to continue, but by the end...wow...omg. I still shake my head when I think about it. IMO, this book is definitely worth the buzz, but it's definitely not for the faint of heart.

Wow, this sounds like such a powerful book. I haven't heard of this one before now, and because the sysnopsis doesn't really clue you in as to what's in store for the reader, I want to read it even more, just to find out what happens. I think it takes an author a heck of a lot of courage to be able to write about something so intense and life changing as being abducted, especially because its not something they would be able to relate to (well I hope not) I'm pleased she managed to pull this off, and the cover is so lovely. I'm adding this one to the wish list, fab review as always Miss Lenore!